The Best One Yet (A Starkid Story)
by FlyingGreysons
Summary: When something from the past comes back to bite Brian Holden, he is forced to make the toughest choices of his life. Will he be able to save himself? Will his friends discover that they can't protect each other forever? Secrets will be revealed, and feels will be murdered. There is no turning back.
1. I Can Hear You

It was almost 5:30 in the morning; Brian Holden and the Langs were still awake writing the newest Starkid production.

"This one's going to be the best show we've done so far. The nerdiest, but still the best!"

Matt nodded drowsily, then promptly bumped heads with Nick as the brothers simultaneously fell asleep.

"The best one yet…"

Brian sighed while clearing away the piles of script they had managed to write in the last couple of weeks. He smirked and ran his hands through his hair when he came across one scene in particular… He picked up the paper and read through the scene multiple times, his grin widening with each time he read it.

_It's too perfect! I can't believe I finally get to kiss…_BANG. Brian jumped in surprise as Matt's face hit the desk. Matt woke up suddenly and saw the scene that Brian held in his hand.

"Brian, isn't that the scene where…"

"NO."

Matt leaped over the chair and snatched it before Brian could protest.

"IT IS!"

Brian crossed his arms and pouted.

"Brian, how many times have you re-read that scene?" Nick asked from across the room.

Brian gaped at Nick in shock; when had he woken up? Nick just laughed and mimicked a kissing scene in the air.

"NICK!"

"Oh come on Brian, you can't pretend it's not clearly obvious that you're in love with her."

Brian glanced back and fidgeted uncomfortably. "I have no idea what you're talking about. You deuce with some crazy juice?"

Nick and Matt nodded at each other and rugby tackled Brian; they were laughing so hard, they didn't hear a certain someone walk in…

"AAAAHEM!" screamed Lauren impatiently from down the hallway. "YOU GUYS ARE SO FREAKING LOUD, YOU EVEN WOKE MERE UP! TURDS!"

Brian rushed to put the paper away, but Lauren spotted it.

"Ohhh, what's that then?" she said in a mocking tone.

He gulped. How could she possible know? "Um…" he muttered, turning to stare at the ground as Meredith stood next to her. Brian turned around and tried to switch the pages but Mere caught him in the act.

"Oh come on Brian, it can't be that bad."

Brian stood there, helpless, as she glanced over his arm at the script and raised an eyebrow.

"Is this…"

"Um, I don't know what you mean, Mere… I was just sorting through the script…" he managed to stutter.

"Haha why are you acting weird all of a sudden? Because you get to slap me?" she giggled.

Brian looked curiously at the script. "Sl-" Brian stopped himself and Mere looked at him with a puzzled expression. He glanced at the paper in his hands and realized that his hand covered the scene he had actually been trying to hide…

"Phew," escaped Brian's mouth.

Meredith and Lauren glanced at him. "Oh s**t, did I say that out loud?"

"I think Brian needs to go to bed," Matt cut in awkwardly. Brian smirked at him gratefully, then dived to wrestle Nick for a Red Bull.

"Surely it makes sense not to have Red Bull just before you sleep…?"

Brian shrugged and took a sip anyways.

Lauren grinned. "Come on Mere, you don't wanna be here when the caffeine gets to him…" The girls went downstairs.

"So, Brian…"

"I know what you're going to say, Nick." Brian interrupted.

"Oooooh, touchy!" Matt mocked while gaining 'the stare' from Brian.

"Whatever," he said, turning away to hide his embarrassment. His fingers were already tingling from all the Red Bull.

"Oh come off it Brian, you cannot continue pretending like we don't all _know!_"

Brian whipped around. "Oh really? I'd like to see you make me talk. Just stay out of this, ok?"

"Oh my gosh Brian, there is no need to get so touchy! It was a joke, chill out!"

Brian groaned and flopped down on the bed while Nick exchanged an exhausted look with his brother.

"Ok…? Brian, is something actually up?" Nick asked. "We didn't mean anything, we were joking, bro."

"Yeah," added Matt, "We were just having fun…you know it's hilarious when someone has a crus-" he trailed off.

Brian gave him evils before sulking off upstairs. Matt and Nick looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"I CAN HEAR YOU!"

They waited, snickering, until Brian was out of earshot. "So…is it actually true then?" Nick whispered excitedly.

"I _knew_ something was going on in that silly head of his," Matt said a bit too loudly.

"I CAN STILL HEAR YOU!"

"Shut up!" Nick said, laughing. He suddenly ducked as a pillow smashed violently into the wall behind him. "BRIAN!"

"Will you two just please stop? It may have been funny at first, but it's getting to be too much now." Brian seethed.

"Jesus, Bri! You almost took Nick's head off!" Matt scolded. There was a dead silence as no one wanted to anger Brian further.

"It's late guys, maybe we should sleep? _Everyone's_ obviously going mad with the lack of sleep…" Nick suggested hesitantly.

Brian gave them one last glare and stormed out. Though they quickly began to snore, he lay awake thinking about someone…

When the morning came, Brian cursed his thoughts because he hadn't gotten more than thirty minutes of sleep. He drowsily stretched his hand across to find the pillow, which had disappeared from under his head.

"Huh?" he muttered.

Brian looked around with difficulty to find that not only his pillow was missing, but the bed he was sleeping on.

"What the-"

He sat up only to wince in pain as his head banged into something hard. _Why can't I move? _He forced his eyes open.


	2. Help Me, I'm in a Weird Situation

Brian looked to see what he had banged his head on when he noticed that his surroundings were almost pitch black. _What is going on? _He struggled to remember what had happened last night, but everything was a blur. He held his breath in as he heard footsteps… Brian couldn't quite make out what the voices of the approaching people were saying, as they were talking in whispers.

Brian pressed his ear against the cold surface next to his head to try and hear, but suddenly fell forward as it moved. He heard his name through the walls of…whatever this was…and let out a gasp, a little too loudly. The voices immediately stopped, and Brian pressed himself back in fear as if the farther he got from them, the safer he was.

After a while the voices started up again, and he was sure he heard "Must have been nothing…"

He let out a sigh of relief. _Now to get out of here…_ Suddenly Brian flinched as he was blinded by a bright light.

"What is going on in here?" he heard a voice say.

_Help me, I'm in a weird situation… _Brian couldn't help the grin that spread across his face at the quote.

"Yes, I can see that…" Brian heard the familiar voice getting closer to the place where he was hidden. He blinked rapidly. Light was now pouring into his little 'prison' from all sides.

"Are you not going to thank me for rescuing you, Brian?"

He jumped at the voice that seemed to be right next to him. "Who said that?" asked Brian nervously, but he already knew the answer. Their unmistakable laugh echoed through his head…

"Have a guess. To be honest I thought you'd recognize my voice."

Brian closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing.

"Where the hell am I, Darren?"

"Of course you knew who I was," Darren smiled.

"Where am I?" Brian said, his tone becoming more serious. Darren's smile didn't change at all.

"You don't need to worry, you're quite safe." The smile kept constant.

Brian was still blind to his surroundings, except for the unnerving face of Darren. He could still hardly move. "DARREN!"

"I told you, you'll be fine."

Darren moved further away from where Brian was kept static. Realizing that this was going nowhere, Brian began to struggle in his tiny space and Darren's smile began to disappear…

"Brian, you're not going to move. Stop trying."

He realized how severe this situation was…Darren's tone was beginning to scare him.

"Stop it, you're…you're not yourself!"

"It'll all be explained soon, Brian." Darren's expression was turning closer to smug by the second.

Brian couldn't help but wonder what he was involved in now. As Darren walked away, his mind raced with questions.

"Darren, wait!" Brian cried out. Darren slowly turned back to face him.

"Don't you like surprises?" he sneered, poking Brian's limp hand.

"Not when it's like this, Darren, please," Brian begged.

Darren let out a giggle that barely sounded human. He ignored Brian's plea and turned away, leaving him in darkness again. Brian laid flat down once more. _I might as well, it doesn't appear that I'll be leaving anytime soon. I wonder where Darren went… _Suddenly there was a THUD as Brian's small space gave a jerk, and he clutched at the sides of his prison. He could feel his surroundings moving as he was still completely oblivious to everything that was going on. He began to breathe quickly, almost in a panic. There was so little room in this compartment, or whatever it was…

He heard voices again, but this time he was sure that it wasn't Darren. Brian tried to listen, but the rattling movement of his container was drowning out the words.

Suddenly, the movement around him stopped. "What the?" he muttered.

Brian's head bumped into the top of the container again. "OW!" He covered his mouth too late, but the voices hadn't heard him and faded once more. Brian was confused. That voice SOUNDED like Darren, but it definitely wasn't him. All of this thinking was making his pounding head hurt.

_Who sounds like Darren, but isn't Darren…? _Brian sighed; this was going nowhere. He felt himself drifting off to sleep, and tried to catch himself. He couldn't let his guard down with this strange person!

"Think, Brian," he muttered to himself, "you just need to think…"

But the drowsiness crept up on him, and the last thing he heard before his mind went blank was the sound of approaching footsteps…


	3. Strong Together

_WARNING: Major feels ahead. _

_~and to all those confused about what's happening, it'll make sense later! XOXO_

* * *

"Hmm," Meredith started. "Where has Brian got to?"

Lauren shrugged. "No idea."

"I could swear he was still sleeping when we got up this morning…" Meredith was puzzled.

"I don't know Mere, who cares?"

Meredith looked concerned. "Fine," Lauren sighed. "We'll look for him if you're that worried." She rolled her eyes. "I'll race you to his room! If we're loud enough, we can scare him awake!" Lauren dashed up the stairs and out of sight.

"NOT FAIR!" Meredith screamed at Lauren, who was already outside Brian's room. Lauren squealed happily as she pushed Meredith away and shoved open the door, leaping onto the heap of blankets on the bed.

Meredith's laughter stopped at the look on Lauren's face. "…What is it?"

"He's…he's not here!" Lauren gaped in disbelief. Meredith couldn't breathe, and she stared blankly at the empty bed.

"But…no one's been through the front door! Unless he climbed out the window, he's here!"

Nick wandered sleepily into the room. "Brian, I wanted to apologize for…whoa." He froze at the sight of the girls. "Brian?"

Meredith was still stunned to silence. "Brian's not in his room," Lauren explained. "And no one's left the house today! And what the HELL went on last night? Why were you gonna say sorry to Brian?" She suddenly turned on Nick.

"Nothing, I…"

"Nick, we're not stupid. What did you do?" Meredith spoke up, making both of them jump.

"It was nothing, Meredith…" Nick looked at his feet. "He was being so sensitive about this one scene and we were teasing..."

"And which scene was this? Not that that will stop you from being total idiots." Meredith stared at Nick with angry eyes.

"Mere, it was nothing! The scene, uh, after he slaps you…" Nick hesitated. Meredith could tell he was holding something back. "Isn't that the scene where…" she trailed off with realization. "We have to find him." _It's not like Brian to just leave… something else must be wrong. _Suddenly Lauren gasped as she glanced across the room.

"What is it, Lo?" Meredith's face dropped when she saw the markings on the wall.

Nick's face turned white. "I'm getting Matt." He turned out of the room without another word, leaving the girls to stare. Matt was laughing at something on his laptop when he saw Nick come in in a hurry. "What's up?"

"It's Brian."

Matt sighed. "What'd he do this time?" Nick just gave him a frightened look, and Matt understood how serious the situation must be. "Oh shiii…"

Nick started to talk but Matt stopped him. "You're talking too quickly, just show me!"

Meredith watched the boys return and join her in reading the horrifying message on Brian's wall. Lauren's hand covered her mouth as she fought back tears. Matt saw the markings and gasped.

"No looking, you won't find him." He read aloud. "Is this some kind of stupid joke?"

_He wouldn't scare us like this…he's not like that… _Meredith assured herself. Lauren squeezed her hand in support. She looked to Lauren and whimpered, "I'm just really worried, Lo."

"I know," Lauren replied, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Me too."

Matt glanced away, trying to stay strong. "We have to do something about this. I'll call the police." Nick sullenly followed his brother out of the room, looking as if he were about to cry.

Lauren and Meredith watched the boys leave the room. "He'll be okay Mere, he always is."

Meredith choked and just nodded. She rested her chin on Lauren's shoulder and held her close as if she was afraid this friend would disappear, too.

"I love him, Lauren…" Meredith blurted out.

"Shhh," Lauren soothed. "I know you do."

"No," Meredith sobbed into Lauren's hair, "you don't, Lo, I can't lose him, I've waited, and now…" The hug lasted an eternity.

"You won't lose him, Mere. I promise." Lauren squeezed her tighter. "I promise," she repeated. Meredith just continued to shake her head, and Lauren stopped it with her hand. "Look at me, Meredith. It's going to be ok."

"No it won't. Lauren, what if I never see him again?" Fresh tears fell from Meredith's eyes as she hugged her best friend tighter. Lauren closed her eyes. She couldn't pretend she knew anymore, but she had to stay strong for Meredith. For Brian. For herself.

"Thank you," Meredith whispered. She didn't elaborate but Lauren knew, she knew that Meredith needed her. She needed Brian.

Horrifying scenes were playing out in Meredith's racing mind. _What if…no. This is happening too fast. How did I get here?_

"Meredith." Lauren brought her back from her deep thoughts into the room. "He's strong, he'll be ok."

Meredith looked up at Lauren, hardly recognizing her as she was drawn out of her imagination. "Lo, do you think…"

"Stop," Lauren interrupted, hugging her closer. "Please don't think of the worst." She let Meredith rest her head on her shoulder again, treating her as frailly as she would treat her own child. Lauren ran her fingers through Meredith's hair, whispering soothing words into her ear. Meredith didn't know how long she sat crying with Lauren, but in those moments they made a silent pact to be strong; together.

After what felt like an eternity, the girls looked up; Matt and Nick had returned and they were still as white as sheets.

"Well, it's done…" Matt muttered. He tried to make eye contact with his brother, but Nick was staring blankly at the wall.

"What…what are we going to do?" Meredith spoke as a fresh wave of tears covered her face.

"Just wait, I guess…" Matt replied glumly, not knowing how to approach this.

"Wait?! How can we just wait? I want to be able to _do_ something!" Meredith burst out. Matt turned to her as Lauren looked on sadly. "There's nothing we can do, Mere. We just have to hope he can make it through this."

"I know, I'm sorry for snapping I just…don't want anything to happen to him," Meredith apologized, tears still in her eyes.

"All of us are worried about him! You're not alone…" he trailed off at the memory of one of their favorite songs.

"I know you're all worried! I just never got to…" she stopped in her tracks, realizing what she was saying. Lauren gave her a knowing glance. "…show him your new song, we know. I think he's going to like it when you do, though." Meredith attempted a smile, thanking Lauren with her eyes. "I hope so."

"Come on Mere, you need to sleep this off…we all do. You'll feel better when you wake up," Lauren suggested, smiling kindly and leading her tearful friend out of the room.

The Langs were left alone. Matt stepped forward, closing the space between he and his brother. "I seriously hope he's ok." Nick let out a long sigh. "Me too, Matt…me too."

"He's like another brother, we can't lose him." A worried expression was creeping further across Matt's face. Nick remained silent for a moment. He was calm, but clearly troubled. "I don't know what's happening…I don't like this…"

Matt nodded. "I hate not knowing...or understanding what's going on."

Nick read the message on the wall over and over again in his head. "I don't know who's doing this, but when we find out…"

"They're going to pay for it." Matt finished his brother's sentence. Nick looked at him, seeming miles away. "Brian'll be ok, he can take care of himself…"

"I hope you're right."

"We need to tell the others, I would hate to be left in the dark about this," Nick pointed out. They shared a look, and Matt pulled his phone out of his shirt sleeve. Not breaking eye contact, he dialed.

"Hey…Darren?"

"Hey Matt, what's up?" Darren replied. "I've got to go in a few minutes, but I have a bit of time."

"Brian's gone…his wall…called the police…" Matt rambled on.

"Woah, slow down Matt! Is Brian okay?" Darren spoke quickly with a worried tone.

"NO! That's what I'm trying to say! We think someone took him, and…Darren, I don't know what to do," he finally admitted.

"You think someone's taken Brian? Matt, this isn't a joke…is it?" Darren spoke faster, fear rising inside of him.

"No! I…" Matt trailed off, giving Nick an uncomfortable glance. Nick nodded. "Um, Darren…well, stuff happened last night…"

"Listen, I need to go but I'll do my best to get off work early. I hope you haven't done anything too stupid." Darren hung up.

Nick sighed as Matt stared at the phone in his hand. "Do you think he's right? What if…what it this is our fault somehow?"

"What are you saying? That he…left?" A fresh wave of regret covered the brothers' faces. "I don't know," Matt muttered. "But the writing on the wall…it doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense, Nick! Why?"

"Matt, listen, I know as much as you do. None of it add up, but we'll find him," Nick assured his brother.

"It feels weird already without him here…I wonder where he is now?"


	4. The Upper Hand

Brian's eyes shot open. He couldn't tell how long he had been asleep for, and all the voices had disappeared. He struggled to remember what he could…someone had talked to him…it was Darren… _Wait, no. It wasn't._ _So basically…I know nothing more than I did when I first got here, great… _He sighed. _This is hopeless! _He didn't know where he was, who was with him, or how the hell he had even gotten here. _Right, that's it. _He was about to shout for help when he heard the voices come back, clearer than before. Brian suddenly felt his container move, and he winced as he heard a thud. The top of it opened, and he saw daylight. The first thing that emerged into his view was a face, a face which held a bitter smile.

"Dar…no. Who are you?" Brian demanded.

"You're slower than I thought…" the voice chuckled darkly.

Brian was fuming with anger. The shape of his captor's face loomed above him, and he got an idea…

He sat up a bit towards the light, his expression turned smug. "Who's to say I don't have the upper hand?" Brian spoke. In a flash he smashed his fist into the mocking face above. As the person cried out in surprise, Brian rose out to meet them.

"Tell me where I am," Brian started. "That," he continued, "is not all I've got!" Fear flashed across the person's cruel eyes and Brian felt a sting of pride. _I can take this guy! I'm tougher than he thinks!_

"What makes you think I can't fight back? The voice spoke with a hint of uncertainty.

Brian let out a low chuckle and tried to make a grab for his captor's head again, but in surprise he crumpled to the ground. "What the…?" He whipped his head around to see his captor ready to get him, but he moved away in time. The man began to approach Brian, but he was ready. Suddenly strong arms took him from behind, and he tried to shake them off.

"No Brian, you're not getting away. I've waited long enough to do this," the voice spoke from behind him.

Brian still struggled against the arms, but he wasn't going anywhere. His head was forced to turn towards the voice. "How…?"

"I thought you might have recognized my voice, but who am I kidding? You didn't speak to me when I was there." A puzzled look was frozen across Brian's face but the speaker continued on. "So it seems that you really don't know who I am? Brian shook his head slowly. "Who are you?" he whispered, his voice full of anger and anxiety. "You don't remember…" the voice muttered in disbelief. A picture was shoved into Brian's face, a picture that he recognized. "But you're…" Brian spoke, memories all pouring back. "What do you have against me?"

"You took everything from me, Brian. I had my chances and you shot them down. Don't pretend you don't know what you did."

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about, I swear!" Brian's tone coursed with confusion.

"It's time you understood the pain you caused me," the voice sneered coldly. Brian struggled as he was dragged into a room. "Woah," Brian tried to stay calm. "Can you tell me what I _did_ before you torture me?"

The voice didn't seem to hear him. "It's time that I get my revenge, Brian. You need to know just exactly what I went through."

"Tell me what I did," Brian spoke louder and with more force this time.

"Meredith." The voice spoke the single word crisply, clearly, piercing Brian's heart with the sound. "Mere-" Brian gasped. "Tell me she's okay. Hurt me all you want but please, don't touch Meredith!"

"Oh don't worry, I wouldn't dream of hurting Meredith," The person stepped closer in view. "However, you won't share the same fate." Brian sighed with relief; at least Meredith was okay. He couldn't deal with it if they took her, too.

"You didn't realize what you had," the voice continued. Confusion ran through Brian's mind. _What is he talking about? _ "You took away the only thing that made me happy, Brian, and now it's time for the tables to be turned," the voice continued.

Brian realized that there had always been more to his captor than met the eye. "Look, I'm sorry for whatever I did!" he pleaded.

A low chuckle came from the direction of the voice. "I'm afraid sorry won't cut it."

Fear coursed through Brian and he froze. He knew now that he wasn't leaving. Would he ever see Nick, and Matt, and Mere…again? _Mere… _He sighed at the thought of never seeing her again, never having told her how he felt. His thoughts wandered, his imagination getting the better of him as he pictured his friend. _She's perfect in every way. If I escape this… I need to tell her how I feel…how she makes me feel. I can't let my chances go by, and it might already be too late…_ the devastating thought jolted him back to the room.

"Brian, I'm going to give you a chance to escape this," the voice spoke. "But with a cost."

The next words made Brian's heart shudder. "Give me Meredith, and you will live."


	5. Strumming

Thoughts were racing through Darren's head. Where was Brian? Did he run away? No. He wouldn't. Darren knew he had left the Langs alone at the worst possible time. Brian was as close as family to them… _I need to get off work!_ _This is too serious to miss! _Darren weaved his way around people and chairs in search of the one person who he knew could possibly get him out.

"Darren! Just the man I wanted to-" Ryan Murphy stopped in his tracks. "Are you okay?"

Darren tried to explain what he knew of the situation with Brian. "I need to be there for them," he pleaded.

Ryan sighed. "Darren, you know we have to shoot two main scenes with you in today, right?" Darren pulled together his irresistible puppy dog face, and Ryan raised his eyebrows in amusement. He sighed again. "Keep me posted on the situation…" Ryan smiled faintly. "Go."

"THANK YOU!" Darren nearly screamed, drawing all eyes to him. He turned and sprinted out of the building, oblivious to them. Darren raced outside, fumbled around for his keys and climbed into his car. As he bolted out of the parking lot and towards the airport, he grinned to himself. _Hang in there, buddy. Darren's coming._

* * *

Darren gained quite a few looks as he ran, full speed, to the booking desk. "Aghhh!" he cried out in surprise as he collided with a person walking in the opposite direction. "I'm sorry! Hey, wait…" Darren's face filled itself with confusion. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"Yeah…" they muttered.

Darren felt like he was looking in a mirror. There was no other person it could be except… "Kevin?"

Kevin nodded. "We haven't spoken in ages," Darren said, still stunned. "In years." _I don't think we've ever spoken…_ he thought to himself. Kevin had been _that _quiet kid back in college.

"Well, you had no means to stay in touch," Kevin spoke for the first time in their encounter. "You had your own friends."

"Yeah…I did." Darren had never had a conversation this awkward. "So…" he glanced towards the desk. "What're you doing here?"

"I…er," Kevin stumbled. "I was thinking of getting a place here, for a change." He glanced outside where a large vehicle was waiting for him. "Um, I have to go…it was nice seeing you," he said to the ground.

Darren sighed._ Thank God he's gone… _he thought to himself, taking a moment to remember where he had to be. "Shiit! Brian!" he resumed his sprint to the desk to get a plane ticket. He didn't see Kevin turn around and watch him go.

"One ticket to…Michigan…" he blurted out as soon as he reached the desk, still unaware of Kevin watching him. As Darren continued his trail of destruction to the security line, Kevin muttered to himself and turned out of the building.

Darren was uneasy as he made his way through the airport procedures; he knew they were necessary but he didn't need this. He looked around at the lines of people surrounding him to see if he could spot any fans. No one was recognizing him! He had to admit it to himself, this did disappoint him a little…he loved his fans to bits. _No Darren, your friends need you. _ He made it through the gate and sat down to wait for his plane, naturally holding his guitar and absentmindedly strumming… His tune soon grabbed the attention of a few of his fellow travelers. However, still no one recognized him. Darren smiled. This was how it used to be, before. When he would sit and sing with Joey, Dylan, Brian…he stopped. He tried not to think about the worst, but it kept seeping into his mind. _Come on, Darren. He's fine. You don't even know what happened. _He tried to keep playing, but the notes all came out wrong. _Pull yourself together, you're being silly! _He tried to comfort himself. Darren had an eerie feeling that something was wrong. For the first time, he abandoned his guitar and walked away.

Darren headed towards an empty café. _I just need some time to think, alone. _He grabbed a muffin, but didn't even look at it. He sat at a table and put his head in his hands. _It'll be alright,_ he tried to tell himself, but he couldn't bring himself to believe it. Darren was worried about the safety of his friend. _Who wouldn't be? I mean, Brian's not typically the one getting in trouble…he may be a troll but he'd never worry us like this, he wouldn't. _Darren had been friends with Brian for quite a long time; he had an idea of what went through his mind at times. _Who would do this to him? As far as I know he doesn't have any enemies… _He pondered for a while, but he just couldn't help the sinking feeling in his stomach that there was more to the situation than he thought. He closed his eyes; he couldn't cope with all the terrible thoughts running through his mind.

Suddenly, Darren's watch began to beep. He frantically looked out of his palms to see it.

"What?! No, I have to make this flight!"

He sprinted to where he had left his guitar when he heard the announcement: "Last boarding call for Flight 394!" _His _flight.

"NO! WAIT! Don't leave, I'm Darren Freakin' Criss! PLEASE wait for me!" he yelled, scrambling to collect his scattered possessions. _Wow, did I just say that?_

When Darren spotted the gate he needed to get, it was already closing. "WAIT!" he shouted again. "Fu** this…" Darren muttered, seeing that no one was coming to help. He shoved open the gate and barged in.

"Hang on sir, you can't just walk onto the plane. I am going to have to ask you to leave." The flight attendant tried to grab him.

"Nooooo!" Darren whined, trying to get on the attendant's good side. "Please?"

"Hmm, I can't just let you on the plane. Do you have any ID?" She raised an eyebrow.

"UHH," Darren shot his hands in the air and beamed. "I'm Darren Criss! I'm…a singer! Or…an actor! Or…yeah!" he stuttered.

The woman frowned. "From that college musical group? My daughter won't stop talking about it, what was it…Starkid?"

"Yuuuup!" he grinned, trying to squeeze his way past the attendant.

She stopped him, getting an idea. "Do me one favor and I'll let you stay on…"

"Whattt?" Darren sighed in exasperation. His luggage was now literally overflowing in his arms, and he could barely balance it all.

"Meet my daughter, and I'll let you fly!" She took a bag from Darren, restoring his balance.

"Um…" Darren frantically looked at his watch. _They need me for Brian… _"Doesn't the plane need to leave?"

"It'll leave when you give me the answer and I give them the word."

"Err…yeah!" Darren said enthusiastically, but he was still a little wary of the attendant's tone.

"Fantastic, you can take a seat and we can organize things later!" She left to assure the pilot that everything was ready to go. Darren raised his eyebrows. _You did it again! Winner! _He silently fist pumped, but regretted it when he dropped his guitar. He ignored the funny looks received from his fellow passengers, and took a seat. Darren yawned and glanced around. _A day spent as a hero sure is exhausting…_

Darren could hear the rush of passengers bustling around him as he drifted off into a light sleep. He imagined his buddies from college again, as he shivered in the corner of a classroom wrapped in a huge blanket… Within the depths of Darren's dream Brian was slowly fading, getting further away. Suddenly his eyes snapped open.

"Ahh!" he shrieked, startled awake, and without hesitating he slapped the face of his neighbor. The man looked startled. "I'm so sorry, oh my gosh I'm sorry I just-" Darren apologized as he realized what he'd done. The man just glared sternly at him, then left his seat. Darren stared after him, mouth wide open, in helpless shock.

Darren hadn't realized how many eyes were fixed on in until he caught a glimpse while watching his neighbor walk away. He smiled and waved enthusiastically, hoping that someone would recognize him, but he was met with stares. He sat back and pouted. _Wow, this day has been shit…_ Darren thought as he rested his head against the seat.

Suddenly, he jumped as he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. _Nick…_ Darren felt the plane begin to take off. _He can wait._ Darren slumped further into his seat and sighed. _Soon,_ _I'll be with my friends._

Moments later, the phone vibrated again. Exasperated, Daren turned it off and leaned back, closing his eyes in relief.

Forgetting about the messages, Darren started to drift off until he felt another vibration. "I thought I turned you off?!" he half-screamed. But as the shaking continued, he realized it wasn't the phone…but the plane.

* * *

_Where is Darren? _Nick thought to himself while pacing up and down. _He said he would land an hour ago…_

"I'm not surprised he isn't here yet, he's always late." Matt muttered, switching on the TV. He took in what was on the screen. "Oh ma…SHIT!"

"Hey Matt, what's…" Nick trailed off as his attention shifted to the TV. "Oh my god…"


	6. Easy Way Out

Brian shifted uncomfortably on the cold floor. He had made up his mind, and whatever came of it…well, this was his decision. Brian listened carefully to see if the voices were still there, but there was no sign. Thinking quickly, he fumbled around for something, anything in the dark. He muddled about until he found his hand resting on something; he couldn't tell what it was.

Brian's eyes widened as his fingers recognized the hilt of a knife that had been carelessly tossed onto the ground. Acting with more care than before, he picked up the knife to study it more closely. Attached to the blade was a crudely scribbled note. Brian read it in his head. _In case you want the easy way out…_ He put the knife down and took a moment to think. What did all this mean? He certainly wasn't going to use the knife…there had to be a better way. Brian tried to sit up as far as he could without banging his head, his mind racing.

Suddenly, a door opened into his room and bathed him in light. For a split second, Brian saw the face of his kidnapper again. Thoughts ran quickly through his head, and then suddenly something clicked.

"You were at Starship," he realized out loud, "you came to see us perform." The figure said nothing, waiting patiently. "But why?" Brian continued to think aloud to himself. "Why me? Why now?"

The door shut, and Brian could no longer tell where the person was but he knew they were still there in the dark. Brian stayed completely silent, trying to listen out for the faint footsteps of his kidnapper. He felt at the ground for the knife. Why had he dropped it? _Stupid._

As silently as possible, Brian picked up the knife and tried to shift into a sitting position. As he tried to look around, he suddenly felt a sharp pain at the back of his head and tried to cling to consciousness…but it was no use. The last noise he heard before passing out was the sound of bitter laughter. _Wow, don't knock me out,_ his fading mind thought. _That's the creepiest route you could go. I can't feel my arms now, weir-_

Brian felt dreams of fear sweep over him. Dreams of his friends and of what used to be. But everywhere he looked, there was always a figure standing in the background-one that he had never noticed before. As the dreams whizzed around his mind, taking over his thoughts, all he could make out was that figure. Always there. _Ugh…_ He began to regain his senses. He could hear the laughter that haunted his dreams fade away as he was brought back into the room.

"Was that necessary?" Brian blurted out sassily. "I don't think I deserved that, considering I still don't know what I did."

"Telling you what you did would be too easy. I want to show you."

"Yeah, knocking me out really cleared up my vision, thanks." Brian was fuming inside. He felt helpless, but didn't know why.

"You'll be fine." The voice smirked. "For now."

He gulped. What was he into now? What was with the creepy tone of his voice? And why couldn't he feel the knife… "Huh?"

"Oh nothing, just thinking out loud," The voice paused and then spoke again. "You'll find out later."

Brian's hands searched frantically, but the knife was gone. Why was this guy toying with him? His heart pounded in desperation.

"Looking for something?" The voice spoke. _Damn, he must have heard the shuffling… _Suddenly his heart froze solid as he felt the cool touch of metal at the back of his neck. He stiffened and held in his gasp. The knife stayed there for a few moments before it was whipped away. "Not yet." The voice spoke to himself.

Brian almost collapsed in sick, useless relief. Bitter tingles spread from where the knife had touched his skin.

"Before you kill me," Brian was shaking as he spoke. "Will you at least tell me what I did?!"

"The more you ask, the more I'm enjoying this…" the voice chuckled. "However, you haven't told me your decision yet."

"What—" Brian started but then realized, "the knife. The easy way out." He felt a breath brush past him. _Holy shit, he's closer than I thought! _ Brian recoiled.

"I see you didn't take your chance."

Brian smiled, getting an idea. "Lay out for me my options again, I'll decide now." He could feel the smile that crept onto his kidnapper's face from across the room.

"Life, Meredith, or… dignity?"

"At least give me some answers," Brian pleaded. "If I choose Meredith, what will happen to her?"

"I leave Meredith untouched if you give yourself, and if I get her…are you trying to distract me?" The voice paused.

"N-no," Brian stuttered. "I just think I have the right to know what'll happen if I give myself up."

"Well, if I get Meredith…" the voice trailed off in deep thought. "I could be there for her like you weren't able to."

Brian drew a sharp breath. Trying not to sound too angry, he asked "Care to elaborate?"

"I—" Suddenly Brian began to lunge at where he knew his captor was, ready to attack, but he hesitated. Did he want to hear this?

"You were never there for her, you were never good enough like I could have been," the voice continued. "I loved her." Brian's blood ran cold as a wave of grief washed over him. _I know how you feel…_ he thought. Brian wanted to say something, to object, but he knew that would only make it worse. He bit his lip and resisted the urge, while the kidnapper continued. "I've loved her even since I can remember…"

Brian could hear the kidnapper pace around the room until he heard the voice again. "I loved her. But you never did."

Brian just couldn't hold it in anymore. "WAIT a second! Your little crush is intriguing and all, but how am I involved?!"

"You stopped me from letting her love me. We could have been so great together, but then there was you."

Brian was lost for words as doubts frantically crossed his mind. Had he interfered with Meredith somehow…? Before he had time to speak, the voice continued. " I could have given her everything."

"I get the message! So you liked Mere!" Brian exclaimed, frustrated. _Other people can like her. It's ok…right? _

"I more than liked her, Brian. That's the point I'm trying to get across."

_Oh my god. He loved her. He loved her. _Brian shook violently as a rush of shock came over him. What was he supposed to say?

Brian could feel a sharp pain in his left arm. "I won't let you stop her from loving me ever again. I will end you." His mouth formed a small O as his hand traveled slowly to the knife, now buried deep in his arm. Brian howled in pain as the knife twisted before being slowly removed.

"Wha…" he gasped as spots began clouding his vision. He winced as the knife returned a second time. It was again removed from his arm, but he gasped again as he felt it enter his side; he could no longer see a thing. Brian suddenly realized that he was squeezing his arm so tightly the wounds were getting worse. He had to do something…

Brian stumbled backwards. _Come on Brian, think_. His hands grasped at the knife, trying to struggle away from the person he knew stood in the dark. The other man laughed at Brian's attempts. "Oh Brian, you're not going to get away."

Brian ignored the laughter and kept moving restlessly in the dark, searching for a way out of this awful place. _Nothing._ The pain was taking over Brian's body; he could feel the blood seeping out of him and the dizziness taking over his brain. His body screamed as he tried to force himself on, desperately reaching for the exit that did not exist.


	7. Sinking

"Breaking news:" the woman on the TV spoke. "An F4 tornado hit Nebraska earlier this morning. Hundreds are dead as the killer weather continues to make its way across America." she finished.

"Whoa," Nick gasped.

"Oh my gosh," Meredith gawped, "we haven't had one that bad in years!"

The Langs both turned to stare at Meredith, who had been almost silent since the discovery in Brian's room. "Yeah, Mere."

Meredith raised an eyebrow at the staring brothers. "What? It's terrible, people are going to die and there's nothing we can do!"

Nick sighed. "Well, maybe we can donate money or something to help…" He looked nervously at Meredith, trying to keep her calm.

Meredith nodded before placing her head in her hands. "Sorry," she murmured.

Nick began to panic. Where was Lauren when you needed her? "No Mere, this is great! Come on, you can help me." He took her hand gently.

Meredith gave Nick a tight smile. "So, what next?" Nick paused. This was a great way to distract Mere from the hostage situation…but could Starkid really afford it?

"Why don't we put on a show?" Meredith suggested. "We could have a charity collection at the end."

Nick smiled kindly. "That's a great idea!" Inside, his stomach clenched. _How are we ever going to plan this without Brian?_

"Great, we should set a date soon then," Meredith pointed out. "The tornado is happening now."

"Alright," agreed Nick, walking to Matt to begin discussing the plan. Meredith watched him go, then sunk to the ground.

* * *

Darren could still feel the movements of the plane, getting more severe as time passed. The passengers around him grew uneasy. The entire plane was beginning to shake, knocking people and luggage to the floor. Darren's breathing started to quicken; he had never really liked flying. _Come on, Darren, you're 26! Everything will be fine. _His thoughts were quickly proven wrong as he leaned over to glance out of the plane window. He couldn't see anything but grey…

Darren gulped and tried to clam himself as the plane made a massive jolt sideways, causing him to land on the person next to him. "Gah! Sorry!" Darren attempted to apologize, but recoiled as he saw a trickle of blood on the person's forehead.

Darren frowned in shock, trying to look closer at the other person. "Shit. Are you okay?" It was the man from earlier, but now he was struggling to form words. Darren's eyes popped and he reached out to shake him. The man was still unresponsive, and Darren turned frantically to find someone to help but everyone had their own problems.

_No, no, no! Stay with me! _Darren panicked as he grasped the man's hand. His eyes started to close, only opening slightly when he heard Darren speak. Darren didn't know what to do…he felt small and unimportant. Whoever the famous Darren Criss was, he was gone now.

Darren sighed and sunk back into the chair, trying his best to ignore all of the commotion going on around him. _This isn't happening…it's not real… _he tried to assure himself. Maybe he was still sleeping, maybe this was all a dream? _Yes, a dream._ He tried to convince himself, but it was no use. He felt another thump and found himself face-first on the floor.

Darren's hands flew over the top of his head, barely in time as a piece of luggage followed him down. It stung his fingers as it collided with him. He stumbled as he tried to rise up, a little disorientated but able to stand, and looked around to try and find some answers. As far as he could see, the aisle was littered with objects as the plane shook harder with every second. Darren was horrified. He tried to trek past the screaming children and the distressed adults to get to the front of the plane. _I need to find someone in charge,_ he commanded himself in desperation. _I need to find out what's going on! _

"Hey!" he shouted as he saw the flight attendant from earlier. "What's going on?"

She turned to face him, her eyes filled with confusion and worry. "We…" Suddenly her voice was cut off as a spinning suitcase knocked her down. Darren rushed to her side; if he wanted answers, he was going to get them from her!

"Are you ok?" His question was met with a moan of pain, and before he could inquire further, a huge crack sounded from overhead. Darren stumbled back, falling into the seat next to him. _This cannot be happening. _

The screams and crashes that echoed around him faded out for a second as he relived the best years of his life in his mind. Images of his friends back at home ran through his head; he knew he had to be okay, for them. He didn't know how he was going to pull through, but he began to get a strange sense of confidence as he thought of them. Darren stood up and grinned briefly. He was going to be okay because he had his friends, and his friends needed him. And Brian…he especially needed Darren. _I won't let you down,_ Darren promised to himself.

_Hmmm,_ Darren continued to think. _What can I do?_ He pulled out the cell phone, long forgotten in his pocket, but the screen was smashed. He winced as the sharp plastic cut his fingers. _Great, what now?_ He looked around to see if there was anybody who looked like they knew what they were doing. Darren was shocked as he saw the scene unfolding before him. Injured people lay on the ground, and there was no one to help. Darren's eyes lit as an idea came into his head: _I can help._

He clambered to where a woman crouched on the floor, clutching her broken arm. _If I can't help Brian now, I can do this for him._

"Hey, hey," Darren spoke as the woman whimpered at his touch. "You'll be okay." He took her arm and grinned in support. "Where does it hurt? We're gonna be just fine." She hesitated, searching his eyes.

"C'mon," Darren prompted, "you can trust me, I swear."

She let him rub her arm, closing her eyes in relief at this stranger showing her support. Darren felt a rush of happiness…he was helping. For the first time that day, Darren didn't feel completely useless. He was actually helping. He began to warm up almost instantly. Darren glanced down to make sure the woman was calm and taken care of, and felt proud.

Darren swiftly moved to the next injured passenger, working his way around the plane and making sure that everyone was comfortable. He finished cheering up an older man when he realized a pounding sensation in his leg. _Since when did that happen?_ He winced as he put too much weight on the leg. Looking around and trying to find a seat, he spotted one next to a window. As the plane gave another violent shudder, Darren was barely able to collapse into the cushion of the seat and lift his leg. Darren breathed out slowly; helping people was hard work. He turned and rested his head against the window. A whirring sounded in his ears as the plane tilted, and he clutched the armrest for support. He couldn't tell which way was up.

The movement stopped momentarily, and Darren sighed in relief before looking out the window; his eyes widened. He breathed in and out, in and out…until the world exploded into shards of glass and his mind sunk into darkness.


	8. Cold

Meredith opened her eyes, taking a moment to remember where she was – she was quickly reminded by Joey grinning down at her. "Wha-?" she puzzled out loud. She swiveled her head to frantically look at her surroundings but was stopped by Joey's hand.

"Nick told me about the show – everyone knows I can't resist a Starkid show – and so I came back."

"You…" Meredith was still trying to puzzle together how she had gotten here, and didn't understand what he meant.

"C'mon," Joey pulled her up from her current position on the floor. "Let's get you something to drink."

Recognition flowed back into Meredith's eyes and she looked at him for a split second. His face was filled with understanding. Joey smiled warmly at her, his head tilting slightly as he looked into her eyes. Meredith couldn't help feeling uneasy. Her panic about Brian came flooding back to her, and she quickened her breathing.

"Shhh," Joey soothed, running his hand along Meredith's arm. "It'll be okay."

She shivered slightly as his breath touched her face. "What…what happened?"

"Nothing, everything is fine," Joey tried to sooth her, still touching her arm.

"No, why am I here?" she pulled away slightly, glancing around her bedroom and trying to ignore her nagging feelings.

"Ah, right. You fainted." Joey paused before continuing, "So we brought you up here."

"Oh," Meredith muttered, staring at the floor. "Sorry, I don't really know why…" She looked up at Joey, unsure of what to say.

"I was just here to check that you were okay," Joey confirmed.

"Oh…thanks," she awkwardly responded, turning back to look him in the eye. Had he guessed why she was heartbroken?

Joey cocked his head to the side. "You are okay, aren't you?"

"Um…" she stammered.

"Come on Mere, don't give me this shit…" he sighed. "I know something's wrong." When he got no response he leaned forward so that their faces were practically touching. "Come on, Mere. Tell me."

It took a full minute before she realized that his lips were on hers.

Joey noticed Meredith's intake of breath; he pulled away momentarily to look at her. She hesitantly leaned forward to follow him…for some odd reason, she didn't want to let go. Joey smiled as he caught Meredith's lips for a second time; he had been waiting so long for this moment. Meredith closed her eyes, taking in the serenity of this moment. It had been so long since she'd kissed Brian…

Breathing heavily, Joey took in Meredith's scent; he wanted to remember this moment forever. Suddenly, her eyes shot open. She tried to up but she was already against the wall, while Joey continued, not noticing. He pulled away for breath, staring into Meredith's eyes and noticing that something was wrong.

She pushed his face away briskly with her hand. "WHAT THE HELL, JOEY?" Joey jumped in alarm, not expecting the outburst.

"I-I'm sorry," Joey stuttered, "I thought-" he trailed off.

"What did you think?! Did you know that Brian's gone missing? Did you know that..." suddenly Meredith stopped, realizing that she was screaming. Joey stepped back from her, shocked at the sudden anger.

"Listen, Mere…I'm sorry."

She didn't respond, both terrified of Joey and of herself. Why wasn't Brian here? He always had the right words.

"I'll j-just leave." Joey spoke, gesturing towards the door.

"No." Her voice was cold and demanding; she didn't even recognize it anymore. Joey gave a puzzled look and turned back around. He squinted his eyes, trying to read Meredith's expression. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Talk to me."

Meredith folded her arms without realizing it and squeezed in her shoulders tight. She was so cold…she didn't know what to say.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong, Mere."

Meredith barely heard him; she only stared into his face again. How could she speak when she had just pushed him away?

Joey sighed, "Listen, I'll stay if you want but you're going to have to talk sometime."

Meredith spoke lightly, with a hint of shame in her tone. "I'm really sorry, Joey, I…I can't."

Joey nodded, understanding completely. "Do you want me to get Lo?" he asked, knowing she would be better in this situation.

Meredith grabbed his wrist gently. "No…don't go," she muttered. She had to talk to someone _now._

"Then speak to me. Please." He was no good at this, but he had to try.

Meredith gazed quickly into his eyes once more and saw nothing but honest curiosity. "You know about Bri, right?" she began.

Joey nodded. "It's terrible, what happened. Terrible."

"I love him," she exploded, then brought her hand up to her mouth.

Joey closed his eyes, taking in the information. He should have known this was coming. But in a way, he guessed he had known it all along – the way they looked at each other when no one was watching said it all. He knew that right now, he needed to be there for Mere; he put a comforting arm around her shoulder.

The tears came before she could move. "He…he doesn't know!" she spluttered into Joey's elbow.

"He'll be okay, Mere…he always is."

"No!" Meredith spun around in defiance, leaving Joey speechless. "That's what I hear from EVERYBODY! But they don't know!"

"Oh, Meredith…" Joey trailed off. "He loves you too, you know. It's so obvious." _What am I saying? _He panicked as Meredith's face began to relax. _Do you want her or not, Joey?_

"Thank you, Joey. That's helped…a little." Meredith swallowed. "But…I am so sorry."

"It's fine." He kept his face as hard as stone, trying not to show his emotions. This was tragic and all, but...

"No, Joey. It's not. I just took you for granted and that is not fine."

Joey sighed. _Girls are so difficult…_ "Mere, you don't need to be sorry about anything. We know you're going through a lot!" He paused to think before continuing, "You can't be blamed for your actions when you're feeling like this."

"No, Joey, don't feel sorry for me. I should…" Joey could feel his frustration rising as she continued to speak.

"Meredith," he interrupted, "we should just focus on Brian and the show. Let's just forget about this."

"But…but I love Brian, and I kissed you!" she sobbed into her palms. Joey's eyes traveled to the ceiling in exasperation.

"Meredith. The kiss was my fault. Please, put it behind you." Joey hated the words coming out of his mouth, but it was right.

Meredith glanced back up at him with huge, watery brown eyes. He seemed so strong, and supportive all the same.

"Listen to me, Meredith. Nothing ever happened just then, okay?"

Meredith felt herself tear apart inside, then nodded to Joey slowly. He put his hand out for her to take for support. "Shall we go and find the others?"

Meredith ignored the hand and pecked him on the cheek. "Thank you." She left Joey standing, speechless. _What the…?_

Joey stood in the same spot, wordless for a few minutes, before coming to his senses and following Meredith out of the room. As he concentrated on placing one foot on each step, his senses spun. What did that kiss even mean? He groaned in confusion. Joey decided to forget about it for now. Maybe he'd confront her later when she was less…fragile. He shook his head. He didn't understand girls at _all_… suddenly his foot missed the step and he tumbled into someone's arms.

Joey was disoriented for a moment before he finally got his footing. "Sorry," he mumbled before looking to see who it was. _Shit, Joey, this is your chance!_ He sighed deeply. "Really, I was just following you and…and I'm sorry for kis-oh hi, Nick."

"Oh, um…hi Joey, what were you saying?"

Joey felt his face flush bright red. "Nothing! How's the show coming?" he asked, faking a smile.

Nick raised an eyebrow at Joey but decided to leave it. "Not great; we need Brian for something like this."

Joey sighed; why did everything lead back to _him?_ "Can't we…I don't know…get Darren to help or something?"

Nick shook his head. "We've heard nothing from Darren since he said he was getting on the plane."

"Damn it, Darren," Joey muttered under his breath.

"It's a good point," Matt murmured as he approached the pair. "Where _is_ Darren?"

Nick turned to listen. "I don't know…his flight was supposed to land ages ago. Maybe his phone's dead?"

"Maybe. But wouldn't he have used someone else's phone? Just to say he was back?"

Joey shrugged, trying to stay with the conversation. "He's Darren, he'll get here when he gets here."

"I guess you're right," Matt agreed. "We'll give it a while longer before we start worrying."

Joey's eyes searched the room for Meredith as he heard the brothers walk away. When he couldn't see her, he made his way into the sitting room to find her silent on the sofa. He began to make his way to her, but then saw the troubled look on her face and paused. He didn't want to hurt her any more.

Instead, Joey took a seat on the other side of the room. He rested his head against the back of the chair and closed his eyes. Joey let out a sigh. _Can this get any worse?_ He didn't know that his question would be answered sooner than he thought.


	9. Coiled Mind

_Greetings readers! It's been a while since a new chapter's been posted; the end of the school has had everyone understandably busy! We love all of you, so as a gift while you wait for the next update we've given you this little mini chapter puzzle. It's up to you to decide who's thinking what, and every mind is connected. Additionally, characters next to each other have a special connection in the story that either has been or will soon be revealed. Have fun, and feel free to leave your guesses in a review! We might be revealing a few of the answers in the near future! Thanks again for your patience, you won't be disappointed by what's to come... ;)_

_~FlyingGreysons _

* * *

~I don't know where I am. I feel myself floating; my mind is spiraling with images of the past. It hurts. Everything hurts, yet I can't feel anything. I am hovering somewhere far away, but I need to stay. I won't let go. I can feel the slight pull of reality trying to claim me, to take me in its arms. But it's not strong enough, not yet…_I'm _not strong enough. ~

~I'm not strong enough to carry on. They look to my heart when my soul is what hurts. They think I'm strong. They think I can do it, hold this together. But they don't know how wrong they are. Every time I give hope to them, part of myself breaks away with it. Why do I keep going when there's nothing to look forward to? I live on a cloud, a dream, a small flutter of hope that one day it will get better. I will get better. I want to spill, to fly in the sunlight again, but I don't know if there are enough pieces left to lift off the ground. So I think I'll stay, wait for someone to pick me up, to glue me back together. To save me.~

~I need someone to save me. It's all I've desperately wanted since my world began falling to pieces. Now, it's too late. Too late to escape; I'm stuck here. There's no saving myself. No saving my friends. I was too foolish to realize what I needed, and too proud to admit it. I thought I had unlimited chances; I can't face this. I know there's nothing I can do, but I can't help thinking this is my fault. That this was all me. Maybe this is what I deserve for not speaking. Everyone hears my voice, but no one listens to what I've been screaming. I could shout and scream for days and never be heard. I'm just a ghost in the background; always there but never seen. I had my chance, my moment of happiness. Now even that has been taken away from me, and I struggle to find what's left. I search to find the place where I am supposed to be. The hope I once had is now gone; I'm lost.~

~I am so lost. I'm surrounded by support but nothing will help. The one thing I thought I could put my trust in is gone. They thought I could cope, I thought I could cope but we're all wrong, so wrong. I can't piece myself together now, it's not the same. Maybe I'm done. Maybe I should end this before it sinks further. It'll never be what it used to be, no matter how much I hope. Everything's ending and there's nothing I can do to stop it. I wasn't ready for this, never realized how lost I would become. I need something to pull me through, but I can't find it. It's lost. I'm lost. Lost among the trouble. But will we ever be revived? I need friendship more than ever, but all I've gotten is promises. They don't see how much I need them like they need me. I try to be there for them, to be by their sides but how do I cope when I get nothing in return?~

~It's so hard to cope with what I want when I know that it's not coming. I've waited to let others have their peace. My whole life I've been pushed around; I've always been second best. But now I'll change that, they'll all see. I'll prove that I have what it takes to be there. I'll come out of the shadows and take them all by surprise; no one will think to doubt me again. They'll know then, not to mess with me, to put me below them. They won't make those mistakes again, not after this. This is my moment of truth. I need to convince them once and for all that I can be worthwhile. It's all I have to live for. This is it, the last chance I'll ever get to make myself heard. It all rests on this.~

~Everything rests on us now. It's up to me to help and be there where I haven't been before. I need to help, I need to be there. I can't let this take us, we must make it through. We need something strong, someone strong enough to figure out what went wrong. Could it be me? Am I the answer? Is it all up to me? I'll try to be strong, for them, for everything. And if the only answer is for me to give of myself, then that's what I'll have to do.~

~It's what I have to do, carry on. I need to carry on but I can't; everything I love is slipping away. It's falling out of my grasp like everything else seems to. Where did I go? Where is my courage? Where is help when I need it most? They don't understand what I've lost, they never will. I wish I could go back and change…but I can't. They'll never know how much I would go through, to get it back. If I could have said how I felt before it was too late, maybe this wouldn't have happened…maybe it wouldn't have turned out like this. But it doesn't matter now…I can't change the past, or can I? I don't know.~


	10. Blurred

_Hey readers! Hope you like the next chapter...there are plenty more surprises to come! Here's a hint to the mini-chapter puzzle: every thought is from a different character in the story. That means NO repeats. Also, remember that every character whose thoughts are place next to each other have a special connection that either has been or will be revealed later in the story! Send us reviews and messages with your guesses, or tweet us at BriansArmy and coollikecriss!_

_~ FlyingGreysons_

* * *

The air dawned misty and shining with a glimmer of luminance. Lauren's elbows grazed the windowsill, her head drooping in the same position it had been all night. She suddenly awoke with a pain in her neck. Rubbing it with the back of her hand, she got to her feet and left to look for the others.

She approached the kitchen, still seeing blurs from her deep sleep.

"Nick? Brian?"

There was no answer, and Lauren returned to feel a light draft on her face. It grew stronger as she turned down the hallway. _I must have left the window open…_ Her feet stopped as voices drifted to her through the shadowy walls. She swiveled her head, and they grew louder in the room across from her. Confused and still foggy, Lauren slowly crept closer to the closed door and tried to make sense of everything.

"…should we tell them what we know?"

Lauren's fingers quivered with anticipation. Another whisper, softer this time, wafted through.

"No, not yet. It's not the right time."

Lauren gasped. What was being hidden? She tried to puzzle together the situation but her eyes were still glazed with sleep. She thought about her options; she could enter the room and stop their conversation altogether, or simply stay and listen…

Her decision was quickly made for her as the door creaked open. Panicking, she scooted away and slumped against the wall as if she were sleeping. Lauren detected the sound of shuffling feet moving closer to her when she heard the voice again.

"She wasn't here when we came in…"

It was hard for her to identify the voices through her blurred mind, but she faintly made out the words.

"It's not safe to talk here…"

Lauren listened as the voices moved further away, opening her eyes when she was sure they were gone. Blinking and squinting her eyes at the return of sight, she got to her feet and returned hesitantly to the kitchen. This time, the chairs at the table were occupied.

She knew that they had already seen her, so she decided to join them and take a seat.

"Hey Lauren, how's the morning treating you?"

"It's alright. How about you, Darren?"

He shrugged. "It's okay."

Lauren nodded. "And you, Brian?"

He grinned. "Like shit to be honest with you, Lauren."

She sighed and poured herself a glass of water. "So…anything you two want to tell me?" She raised her eyebrows at the boys in amusement.

The pair looked at each other and shrugged. "I guess we could tell her."

Lauren moved her hands to her hips, growing concerned. "Tell me what?"

Brian leaned closer to Lauren. "About Joey," he whispered. Her eyes widened in shock.

"See, I told you she didn't know!" Darren slapped Brian's arm in playful frustration.

"Didn't know what?!" Lauren's face screwed up in confusion. "What about Joey?"

Darren leaned closer to her, his breath tickling her face. "Do you promise not to repeat what we tell you?"

Lauren nodded, sitting with her fingers crossed behind her back.

Darren leaned in closer. Lauren was sure he would fall off the chair if he moved farther. "Joey is not our friend, Lo," he murmured.

She raised both eyebrows. "What...? How do you mean?"

"Joey. He wants to hurt Brian. He's not on our side," he repeated urgently.

"But-" Lauren turned to confront Brian and found herself staring at an empty chair. "Where's Brian gone-?" she asked.

"Brian?" Darren questioned. "Brian was never here."

"Yes he was," she insisted.

Darren glanced around, and sighed. "Okay. Just don't trust Joey, okay? Okay?" he placed a hand on her cheek and stared hard into her face, then pulled away.

"Lauren!" Meredith called as she walked in with a large grin on her face. "What are you doing here?"

"Mere! Have you talked to Darren, he's here and he wants to-"

"Darren?" Meredith looked shocked. "Darren left two days ago, he's due to arrive back tomorrow."

Lauren didn't even check to see if it was true. "No! Stop!" she half-screamed, tearing past a bewildered Meredith and out of the kitchen. She stormed outside, expecting to see Darren leaving, but found nothing. Lauren whimpered in protest and shut her eyes. "Don't leave, Darren!" she shouted to the empty drive.

Joey walked out of the house and spotted Lauren. "Darren's gone, Lo."

"Get away from me!" she retaliated, beating at his extended arm with her fists. She didn't know whom she could trust anymore, but Darren…she winced as pain from distant memories rushed over her.

"Woah Lauren, I'm just stating the facts," Joey spoke, a glint of madness in the corner of his eye. She gasped in pain as he grabbed her wrist. "Come on Lo, you don't want to be here."

"Stop, Joey! What are you doing?" Lauren cried. "Why are you like this?"

He turned to face her cruelly. "Brian can't come back. He won't. And now that Darren…well, he won't be coming either. Everything is working. And you won't get in our way. You don't understand what this means."

"Then try to explain! They were right, you are evil! What have you done with them?" Lauren fell to her knees and began to cry.

"There's nothing you can do, Lo. Just forget about it." Joey's voice lowered. He walked away across the drive, and suddenly wasn't there anymore. Lauren's brain was racing; she wished Meredith were with her. And suddenly, Meredith was hugging her.

Lauren cried into her friend's shoulder, rattled and confused but still grateful for her presence. "Meredith, I don't understand!" she sobbed. But as she opened her fingers, she only clutched the air. "What is going on?" Lauren screamed at the top of her lungs. "I don't understand!"

She stormed forward, only to see Brian's face flash in front of her. As she began to scream, the house vanished from her eyes as well. She walked over to where it had been to see a small model of the house; she picked it up and held it to her ear, only to hear voices coming from inside of it. A roar sounded from behind Lauren, and she fumbled with the house as it almost fell from her grasp. She swept her gaze around to see…Darren…? No. It was a lion, but with Darren's head.

She quickly turned to see a strange police box appear behind her. Out of it appeared a queer-looking man wearing a tweed jacket and a bow tie.

"Hello? Can you-" she paused as he was no longer there. A gloved finger tapped her shoulder and she turned around to see a short man wearing a lab coat and goggles smirk into her face. "Love your hair!" he laughed and clapped his hands together, disappearing in a shower of sparks.

Lauren's attention was quickly diverted by the sound of a car approaching behind her: a black Impala. Two men clambered out and walked over to her. "Hi, I'm Sam and this is my brother, De-" but they disappeared before she had the chance to say a word.

An English black cab pulled up near to where Lauren stood; a tall, mysterious man wearing a long coat and a blue scarf climbed out, slowly followed by a short, blond man. The taller man extended his hand. "I'm Sherlock Holmes, and this is Dr. John Watson." Lauren reached to take his hand but there was nothing there to grab.

"STOP!" she screamed, beginning to see images of her friends whirl past in a wide circle. She placed her arms over her face and sunk to the ground in desperation.

The air dawned misty and shining with a glimmer of luminance. Lauren's elbows grazed the windowsill, her head drooping in the same position it had been all night. She suddenly awoke with a pain in her neck. Rubbing it with the back of her hand, she got to her feet and left to look for the others.


	11. Control

_Hi readers! As promised here's another clue to the puzzle in chapter 9! :) If no one's already guessed, the second paragraph's feelings belong to Lauren. Remember that every one is a different person and there are connections between the people whose thoughts appear directly next to each other! Enjoy the next part of the story, we love all of you for supporting us! 3_

~ _FlyingGreysons_

* * *

The clear, serene sky floated above the ground as if it were alive. Tongues of flame smeared its edges bright orange. Meanwhile, a disaster was occurring, lives were being shattered, and worlds were falling apart. This scene enveloped in the distance, blurry in Darren's watering eyes. He tripped over his feet for just about the hundredth time, wheezing with pain during every breath. He could hear noises, noises in the distance, sirens. _Help,_ he thought_, help is coming._ Darren's foot collided with something hard, and he looked down at it. Every movement seemed to be in slow motion, and his ears buzzed. A smoking piece of metal lay at his feet. Darren looked down at the metal, bending as best as he could to study it. Lines of black streaked the sides; it appeared to be part of the plane's wing. As the metal was flipped upside-down, Darren glimpsed the end of a row of holes deep into it. He suddenly rose and looked around with a nervous madness. _Those holes were drilled on purpose…the plane was tampered with! _He stumbled onward, looking for someone, anyone who could help. He climbed over the damage towards a police officer.

"It was on purpose!"

No matter what he said, Darren couldn't get the officer to believe him. "You're in shock, sir."

Darren got away and wandered back across the field of wreckage. They had to believe him…someone had tried to kill them… He slumped down against a tree and sat with his hands over his knees, eyes darting back and forth.

_ Plane crash…I was in a plane….they crashed the plane…_

* * *

"Joey. Wake up."

A light shake of the shoulders forced Joey to open his eyes. He had had such a good sleep…at least that night he hadn't needed to worry about his problems. Now, with Nick staring down at him, with a hint of worry still in his eyes for Brian and Darren, the memories Joey had been trying to suppress all came flooding back.

"What, Nick?" he moaned groggily. Was it really that late in the morning?

"Joey. You have to come see this." Nick insisted, a look of desperation on his face that seemed out of place. He may have been stressed before, but not like this… "Joey, listen, it's Darren. His plane…it's crashed. They haven't found all of the survivors yet but we've heard nothing from him."

Joey barely heard the ominous words. In his mind, he retreated back into a memory that had failed to fade away. "I didn't think…that…" he muttered distantly.

"Joey?" Nick asked, noticing Joey's reaction. "Are you alright? None of us thought this would happen – it's awful."

"Yeah…" he croaked. Thoughts were swarming in his fragile mind. _How could I let this happen? It's all my fault…Darren…my best friend…he could be… _Joey swallowed with pain and didn't return Nick's look of concern. He knew too well that the chances of surviving the crash were…not good.

_My fault….my fault…my fault… _circled around Joey's head. It was too late to save his friends, and he knew it. He couldn't deal with this now, not ever. Joey was willing to do anything for his friends, but Darren…

He looked back up at Nick with a furious gaze. "Do you know how it happened?"

Nick shook his head. "They're looking into it. Nothing's been found yet, but apparently there's a speculation that it was done on purpose."

Joey leaned against the wall, hand on his forehead and blinking rapidly to hide his water-filled eyes. "I bet…" he muttered, shaking his head.

Nick turned at Joey's words. "Are you sure you're alright? You seem…off."

A determined look came across Joey's wet, furrowed eyes. "Yeah. Tell everyone I'll be down in a sec, okay?" He pushed past and exited the room, leaving behind a very puzzled Nick.

Joey stormed out of the house and slammed the door, making his way towards his car. He glanced over his shoulder after shutting the door, then slowly pressed the lock button with his finger. Leaving it against the cold metal, Joey closed his eyes and breathed deeply. His hand felt along his side until he found the familiar groove of his phone. He pulled it out of his pocket, hands shaking as he searched through the address book for the familiar name that had been the cause of all his pain.

Joey's finger quivered as he held it against the name. Did he really want to risk… An image of Darren, broken and hurt, crept into his mind. Joey gritted his teeth and clicked the phone. As he held it motionless, it began to ring.

"Hello?" A cool voice answered seconds before the ringing ended. "Joey?"

Joey stopped breathing. His eyes wandered down as he struggled with words. "Yes?" he finally stammered.

"You're the one who called me," the voice continued. "What do you want?"

"Oh. Right." Joey breathed. He had to know the truth. "You set up the plane crash, didn't you…" he questioned, cutting himself off in disbelief at his own question.

"So what if I did?" Joey heard the pride in the voice, confirming his accusations.

He sucked in air to calm himself, then quietly responded. "Did you know that Darren Criss was on that certain plane?"

"How dare you accuse me of knowing!" the voice spoke mockingly. Joey could hear the laughter on the other end of the line. "That was the point of the whole operation! Surely you knew this before?" the voice continued. He hesitated, fuming with rage. "You're an idiot, Joey." it concluded before hanging up.

Joey stared, wordlessly, at the phone in his hand. His jaw dangled open in shock. He furiously tightened his grip until the edges of the phone bruised his hand, but he didn't care. One single thought coursed through his mind: _They killed Darren._

He gave an audible exasperated sigh, leaning his head back against the seat. Images started to cloud his mind, images of a time easier than this.

* * *

Joey imagined (or was it remembered?) walking down a bland hallway. He glimpsed a small figure tear past him, and looked back in surprise.

"Hey!" Joey shouted, causing the small boy to freeze in terror. "Are you alright?" he asked, seeing the boy sigh in relief when he realized that Joey wasn't going to hurt him.

"I-" suddenly, the boy tripped and fell as another student pushed him from behind. Joey swiveled and glared at the others behind him. He felt a hand on his arm.

"Just leave it," the smaller boy spoke timidly. "They'll kill me if they think I made you say something to them."

Joey gave the boy a hesitated, confused look and extended his arm. He gratefully grabbed it and rose to his feet, but Joey headed away before another word could be said.

###

Joey walked into class and smiled when he spotted his friends at the back of the room. He started walking towards them when he saw a timid figure on his own in the corner. Glancing between the two sides, he turned to sit with his beckoning friends. With a sudden thought, Joey slipped a note onto the small boy's solitary desk. The boy looked disappointed, but read the note and grinned. Joey grinned back at the boy, turning to his friends again and laughing along with a previous joke.

###

Joey leaned against the beat-up couch in his dorm, chattering away on his phone. The boy on the other end laughed and so did he. They really did have a lot in common. Joey saw his friends walking towards him out of the corner of his eye.

"I have to go," he rushed before hanging up.

Tossing the phone discreetly under the couch, he kicked up his legs and pretended to relax. "What's up, guys?"

"Who were you talking to, Joey? New girlfriend?" his friends teased. Joey nodded, chuckling to himself and joining them near the television. It was weird to be on both sides, but he liked it. He felt more in control.

###

Joey was walking the school grounds, hands fiddling with his phone in his pocket. Suddenly, he was jerked from the side into a tight wedge between two office buildings. "Hey, watch it!" he protested.

A familiar face smiled up at him. "Sorry about that, Joey. I had to; you know how it is."

Joey sighed. Over the past few years he hadn't been sure what he'd gotten himself into, but the superior feeling he got when he reminded himself of his position always dragged him back. Always that feeling that wouldn't go away.

"Joey, I need your help with something."

Joey started back. Maybe this was the wrong choice. Maybe this wasn't what he was supposed to do. But that feeling…

"Whatever you need, I'm there."

There was no turning back now.

* * *

Joey rubbed his eyes as he slowly shifted back to reality, his head leaning uncomfortably against the car window. His past decisions were all coming back to haunt him. At the time it seemed… he scowled and took in a breath. He had to decide now which side he was on, and it wasn't going to be easy.


End file.
